


Thunderstorms

by Vex_ation



Category: Pocket Monsters SPECIAL | Pokemon Adventures
Genre: Gen, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Thunderstorms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:20:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27122404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vex_ation/pseuds/Vex_ation
Summary: Pearl is not afraid of a lot of things. He's not afraid of heights or bugs or the dark, but thunder is something different. Thunder makes him think of dried up lakes and explosions and blue haired men with intent to kill. Thunder makes his breath hitch and his muscles tense. Pearl is not afraid of a lot of things-- but thunder terrifies him.
Relationships: Platinum Berlitz & Diamond & Pearl
Comments: 17
Kudos: 31





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Squishy360](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Squishy360/gifts).



Pearl could count on one hand the number of things that scared him. He wasn’t afraid of the dark like Diamond or needles like Platinum. He didn’t mind Bug Pokemon or looking down from the tops of skyscrapers, but he wasn’t exactly fearless. Big bodies of water weren’t his favorite thing, and he didn’t appreciate roller coasters as much as Platinum did. He dealt with them though-- he was the determiner for a reason. Thus, Pearl had earned a bit of reputation among his friends. If you were scared, he would hold you, protect you, or just be there for you. Pearl was not afraid of a lot, and so he’d always be beside you if you needed to leap into his arms. Nothing fazed him or scared him too badly; he was stalwart. He was infallible. But one night, when the clouds covered the moon and the lights flickered, he discovered he was all of these things-- but he was not fearless. 

The sky was dark. As Platinum stared out the window, watching her breath fog up the glass, she wondered how long the storm was going to last. The clouds were so thick that they blended in with the sky, every star lost among a blanket of black. Not even the moon could shine through. Platinum tried to find the sheets of rain among the darkness, steadily approaching like an ancient army, but all she could see was an empty void outside her window. 

Diamond sat beside her, stirring her from her thoughts. He stared at the fogged window and drew a lopsided smiley face on it, making her laugh as she playfully swatted his shoulder. 

“Can you see the storm?” she asked. Diamond squinted. 

“Uh… I can’t see anything actually,” he admitted. “It’s really dark out there.”

Platinum huffed, resting her head on her chin. The storm would be coming soon, but she hoped it would just hurry up already. She was one of the few people who actually enjoyed thunderstorms, relishing in the drumming of rain on the window and the low rumble of thunder as lightning flashed, illuminating everything in a bright light if only for a moment. It was the ideal weather to nestle back into a favorite armchair and snuggle up with a favorite book, but there hadn’t been a thunderstorm since the great battle in the Distortion World. It was a bit strange that a fight between the literal gods of space and time managed to create a few weeks of wonderful weather instead of, say, a cosmic storm or a timephoon, but things never turned out the way everyone expected in Sinnoh. 

And thus Platinum stood by the window, sighing wistfully as she waited for the rain and watched Diamond draw anatomically broken pokemon in the fog on the window. Pearl was making popcorn, fiddling with the remote from the kitchen and trying to turn on Homeward Bound. Platinum didn’t intend to watch it, but her multitasking was good enough that she could cuddle with the both of them on the couch while reading her book without too much of a problem-- she was a Berlitz after all. 

“I wish the storm would just break already,” she admitted. “It’s weird when it’s just dark out-- puts me on edge.”

“I’m with you Missy,” Pearl said, coming into the kitchen with a massive bowl of popcorn tucked under his arm. He popped a few pieces into his mouth, giving them a hesitant chew before deciding he hadn’t flavored them properly and immediately retreating back into the kitchen. Diamond stopped his window-doodling to follow him, but Platinum saw that coming. He always lamented that Pearl was an over-salter but under-butterer and she had to agree. She didn’t want to be sipping at her tea all night after the popcorn sucked all the moisture from her mouth-- and yes, she did drink tea with her movie popcorn and no, that wasn’t strange in the slightest, thank you very much. 

Left alone with the silence, Platinum took to looking out the window, where Diamond’s drawings were rapidly fading. She saw the silhouette of a guitar or possibly a Lopunny-- it was near impossible to tell-- and sighed as it disappeared to highlight the emptiness of the dark sky beyond. Then? A pit. A pat. Platinum brightened and ran to the window as the first drops of rain began to drum against the glass, squeeing internally as the droplets turned from a drizzle to a downpour in 30 seconds flat. The quiet shoving and tap of the boys fighting over the salt shaker in the kitchen was quickly drowned by the noise of the downpour. Now this, this was perfect. 

Platinum drew her book from where she had left it on the shelf-- it was so old and crumpled that it fell open right back to where she left off. She moved back to the couch, book dangling from her hand as she stretched to grab her cup of tea from the table. Soon enough the boys would come back with popcorn and put on that bizarre movie about the pokemon that made them both cry and she would curl up with a book and read until they fell asleep on her shoulders. That, admittedly, was the best part of these storms-- it was hard to get the two of them so still and vulnerable enough to cuddle with her uninterrupted. Plus the rain sounded lovely on her roof: that certainly helped. 

Thunder crashed overhead. The boom was so loud it seemed to shake the mansion to its very foundations, and Platinum was ashamed to admit that she yelped in surprise and spilled her tea all over her lap. Wincing from the pain, she quickly stood up and peeled her sodden dress from her legs. 

“What was that?!” Pearl screamed from the kitchen. Platinum’s empty teacup bounced lightly on the carpet and rolled to the edge of the couch. She couldn’t help but feel as though she were standing on the periphery of a massive explosion, afraid to see ruins when she looked out the window. A dazzling flash of lightning told her otherwise, and she found herself trying to blink away the spots in her eyes. 

From the kitchen she could hear the clanging of the plastic bowl as it was kicked and rolled around the tile. Frowning, she stuck her head inside to inspect just how much popcorn the boys had spilled, and it turns out it was literally all of it. Grains of salt and a disgusting looking puddle of butter were scattered in seemingly every crevice and making a war zone of her kitchen. Had Pearl not looked like he had seen a ghost, Platinum might have chastised him for it. But the way his chest was heaving, the way he seemed to be looking not at her, but right through her, told her something was very, very wrong. 

Platinum frowned, approaching Pearl slowly. “You ok?” she asked. “You look s--”

“Don’t move,” he said, his voice surprisingly sharp. “Get down.”

Diamond and Platinum exchanged a glance as Pearl suddenly grabbed their sleeves and yanked them to the floor, eyes wild and unfocused as the three of them practically collapsed onto the kitchen floor. Diamond pushed himself up, eyebrows furrowing in annoyance at the butter now seeping into his sweatpants. Platinum could feel her dress still dripping with spilt tea, making the tile slippery and her legs so uncomfortably wet. She wanted nothing more than to get up and change, but couldn’t help but stay for her friend. Pearl looked on the verge of a breakdown. 

“Hey, it’s just thunder,” Diamond said, a tinge of worry in his voice as he reached out to touch Pearl’s shoulder. To their surprise, Pearl reacted suddenly and violently, smacking Diamond’s hand off his shoulder and curling inward. Platinum and Diamond just sat there, motionless, as Pearl’s back arched, his hands going to his head and digging into his scalp. Diamond opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again just to stare. Pearl leaned curled up until his head was pressed against the floor, his nails digging into his scalp as he squeezed harder and harder. Platinum silently wracked her brain as another peal of thunder shook the house and Pearl let out something resembling both a whimper and a scream. Eyes widening in realization, Platinum only managed to whisper ‘I think it’s a panic attack’ before something popped and the kitchen went dark. Another hoarse yell ripped through the kitchen and Platinum heard another smack-- evidently Diamond tried to console Pearl by touching again and getting whacked as a result. 

“Let him calm down and don’t touch him,” Platinum urged as her eyes adjusted to the dark. “Don’t freak him out further. Pearl, can you hear me? It’s ok, you’re safe. Everyone is safe. It’s a thunderstorm-- it’s out there and we’re in here. It can’t hurt you.”

Diamond kept looking back and forth between the two of them, nursing his twice-hit hand as Pearl began to rock on the floor. They could see Pearl’s chest heaving, his breath ragged and fast. The three of them were sweating despite the chill worming its way into the kitchen. The rain poured endlessly outside. 

In seemingly an instant, everything changed. Pearl deflated immediately, and by the time he lifted his head to look at Platinum the fear in his eyes seemed to evaporate, his expression glazing over into exhaustion. Curled up on the floor with butter and salt seeping into his pants, surrounded by cold popcorn, two concerned friends, and a cold, dark mansion, he looked nothing but defeated. Platinum held out her hand, waiting until Pearl’s shoulders slumped to stroke the side of his head. 

“It’s a storm, you’re safe,” she reassured him. He nodded mutely and tried to stand, looking dazed and wobbly as he looked around the dark room. She hadn’t seen him look this wiped out in a while. 

Diamond gingerly lifted the bowl from the floor, trying his best to be quiet as he put it in the sink. Platinum slowly led Pearl over to the couch, letting him fall into the softest cushions and telling him that yes, she was safe and no, she wasn’t going anywhere, before ducking into the hallway. By the time she came back Diamond had already wrapped his friend in enough blankets to make a Swadloon jealous, Pearl mumbling a few scattered thank-yous as he stared sleepily at the wall. 

“I’m sore,” she heard him mumble as he returned. 

“I know,” Diamond said back, “it’s ok. Just rest.”

Pearl seemed happy to oblige, just slumped into the couch in his bundle of blankets. Platinum walked gingerly around the couch, trying to make sure she didn’t startle him as she held out her spoils-- a pair of noise cancelling headphones. Pearl took them silently, slipping them over his ears and settling back into the couch with a sigh. When the next crack of thunder boomed overhead, Pearl didn’t seem to notice. Satisfied, Platinum sank onto the couch beside him, calling Diamond over from his futile attempts to clean up the kitchen. Lax would surely devour all the food if he were allowed-- and as gross as it was he made an excellent vacuum. As Diamond fell onto the couch and sandwiched Pearl between his friend, Pearl finally seemed to relax. As the drone of rain of the roof slowed to a gentle drumming and eventually to silence, Pearl’s eyelids felt heavier and heavier, and before he knew it he was asleep on Diamond’s shoulder-- who also happened to fall asleep. 

Platinum stared at the book on the table and sighed, choosing instead to lean against Pearl and let herself fall asleep too. She could ask Pearl about all this in the morning and save the book for another rainy day. For now? She wanted to go to sleep, cuddling with her friends and swaddled in blankets. Storms could be scary and everyone had fears, but they’d get through it just like they always had-- together.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short and sappy epilogue to follow the events of chapter one :)

“Is… is that it?” Platinum asked. She looked out at the window at the oncoming storm, then back at their massive pillow fort. It was quite an impressive structure if she said so herself, reaching halfway to the ceiling and draped with a million blankets. The lights were dimmed, the windows covered, and the fireplace crackling softly at the other side of the room. Platinum looked around at their collection of books and board games and smiled to herself. The mugs were ready and filled with cocoa; a plate of cookies and assorted snacks sat beside it. Platinum looked around at their spread, the three of them suited up like they were ready for the most adorable zombie apocalypse. Diamond was fluffing pillows within their fort and taking occasional glances back at the kitchen while Pearl herded Lax and Chatler away from the snacks. Platinum checked in the kitchen to give the automatic generator one last check and then returned to the living room where Diamond and Pearl had made themselves comfortable. 

Pearl was curled up within their fort, a bright orange pair of noise-cancelling headphones over his ears. He was scribbling away in his manzai notebook, seemingly oblivious to the oncoming storm. Diamond grabbed a fistful of fruit snacks and sat beside his best friend, taking occasional glances over at the notebook as though trying to gauge how many smacks he would be receiving in practices next week. Judging by his furrowed brow, it was a few too many. Platinum sighed and moved towards the window. The first drops of rain began to drum on the glass, so she closed the curtain and blocked off their last view of the storm. What they couldn’t see wouldn’t hurt them. In the dark, everything felt a little smaller-- just the tiniest bit more snug for the three of them. 

Grabbing her mug of cocoa, Platinum snuggled between the two of them and cracked open a book. If the storm would last for a while, she had better be prepared with something dense. With the drumming of rain like white noise in the background, Platinum quickly found herself absorbed in the book. It was a collection of studies about something called PTSD, which Platinum had a sneaking suspicion that Pearl had. She had guesses as to what had caused it, but if Pearl was anything he was stubborn, so she wasn’t likely to get anything out of him by prying. She would simply have to wait for her to tell him. In the meantime, she could research about it instead, pouring herself into understanding what her friend was going through. Until he told her what he was feeling, this was the best she could do. 

And thus she found herself pouring over research and articles on her phone, learning about panic attacks and triggers and the million ways that trauma can change someone’s reactions. To her disappointment, she realized there was nothing she could do to “fix” it-- she couldn’t completely eliminate triggers or stop a panic attack once it started. All she could do at this point was be supportive. And supportive she was, being there when thunder boomed overheard and trying her best to soundproof the house. It wasn’t perfect, sure, but she and Diamond were trying their best. Judging by Pearl’s relaxed expression despite the raging storm outside, she could only assume he appreciated it. 

“You ok?” she asked, glancing at him over the pages of her book. He looked up, confused, until she realized he couldn’t hear her at all. Whoops. Platinum leaned over to scribble ‘r u doing ok’ in the margins-- he nodded at her with a smile and immediately went back to his planning. Platinum sighed and leaned back against the fort. 

The rain was still pounding on the windows, a few distant rolls of thunder accentuating the drone. Platinum only hoped they wouldn’t get closer. Pearl was holding some squishy model of a Munchlax in his other hand, his manzai book propped on his knees as he squeezed the living daylights out of the Munchlax. That was something else Platinum learned about panic attacks that ended up being surprisingly useful-- little squishies existed in all kinds of shapes for people to channel their anger into. Pearl ended up using them on the daily, crushing rubbery pokeballs in his hand whenever he got frustrated. Each time a crack of thunder made its way past his headphones, she watched his hand close in a vice grip around the stress-Munchlax, his breathing hitching as he sank back into the pillows. 

Since the last time, Platinum had realized that touches-- on the shoulder, head, or even hugs-- didn’t help all that much and was only likely to make things worse, so all they could really do was wait until Pearl eventually calmed down. It made her feel a bit helpless, having nothing to do but watch as her friend spiraled into panic, but alas, there was nothing to be done. She could only be there to give hugs and support whenever he came down from an attack, giving him a shoulder to cry on or a lap to fall asleep in. 

That was the other thing she learned about panic attacks that kind of surprised her-- they tended to make their victims really sleepy afterwards. It made sense: a rush of adrenaline, a pounding heart, and rapid breathing could overwhelm the system and cause a crash. Even still, it was strange and concerning to watch her friend shift from relaxed to panicked to exhausted so quickly. She could only hope that he was ok. 

Even now, with the storm blocked out by his headphones, he looked exhausted, his eyelids fluttering closed and his head drooping downwards as his writing slowed. Platinum checked her watch: it was getting late. Gently, she pulled his notebook from his hand and shifted her legs so he could curl up and doze off. Within moments, he was asleep. Platinum glanced up at Diamond if only to exchange a look of relief, but found he was also asleep, drooling all over the fort’s pillowy walls. It was there she waited, the drone of the rain and the occasional soft snore from either of her friends creating a gentle, sleepy atmosphere that she got lost in. Before she knew it, the thunder had passed, leaving her with the droning rain and her friends by her side in a blissful slumber. With the storm subsiding, Platinum leaned back, content, and closed her eyes. 


End file.
